MARLBOROUGH >> Kenneth Stahli told authorities that on the day of 2-year old Mason Decosmo’s death, he pushed down on the child’s body with enough force to break a bed in an effort to make the boy stop biting him, according to testimony Monday in Marlborough Town Court.

State police Investigator Mario Restivo said Stahli also admitted hoisting the boy up by the arm and knocking him down with a pillow, causing the child to hit his head, in the days prior to the boy’s Aug. 5 death.

Restivo was one of two witnesses to testify during a preliminary hearing to determine whether authorities had probable cause to hold Stahli in connection with the child’s death.

Stahli, 26, of Marlborough, was charged with murder on Aug. 6 in the boy’s death. Authorities say that Mason was the victim of physical abuse at the hands of Stahli for at least two weeks prior to his death.

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The small Marlborough courtroom was packed Monday with friends and family members of both the child and of Stahli. Among those in the courtroom was Louis Decosmo, Mason’s father. Mason’s mother, Katlin Wolfert, was not present.

Stahli sat quietly next to his court-appointed attorney during the roughly one-hour hearing as authorities testified about finding Mason’s lifeless body and the statements Stahli allegedly made about his role in the boy’s death.

Marlborough Police Officer Curt Fulton testified that he took pictures of the boy’s battered body at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, where the boy was taken by emergency workers responding to a 911 call at the boy’s home.

The photographs depicted a child’s body covered with bruises, including on his forehead, around his eyes, on the length of his back, his arms, legs, buttocks and groin area, Fulton said.

“The bruises were visible from the doorway (of the child’s home) from where I stood,” said Fulton, who was the first officer to respond to the mobile home at 16 Walnut Park Lane, where Mason lived.

According to the death certificate issued by the Dutchess County medical examiner, the 2-year-old died of “blunt impact injury of the head, torso and extremities.”

Restivo testified that after roughly 14 hours of questioning, Stahli, who lived with the boy’s mother, admitted causing injuries to the boy and to ultimately causing his death.

Under questioning by Assistant District Attorney John Tobin, Restivo testified that Stahli said that on July 29, he threw a pillow at Mason, hitting him in the legs and causing him to fall forward, hitting his face.

He said that Stahli told him that on Aug. 5, Stahli had been out with Mason and the boy’s infant brother. He said he brought the infant into the home and went out to get Mason, who he found face down. Restivo said Stahli told him he picked the boy up by the right arm and carried him into the mobile home.

Later that same day, Stahli told the investigator, he was tickling Mason on the bed when Mason bit his finger. Restivo testified that Stahli told him that he placed his knee on Mason’s torso and “pushed down with more than 100 pounds of force” in order to break the boy’s grip on his finger.

Under cross examination by Assistant Public Defender Mari Ann Connolly, Restivo said Stahli didn’t say he applied over 100 pounds of pressure, but that he said he placed about one-half of his weight on the boy.

Restivo also testified under cross examination that he didn’t question other potential suspects in connection with the boy’s death.

Authorities said Wolfert, 22, and her two children, moved in with Stahli about five weeks prior to the toddler’s death. Police said that she was aware of the injuries inflicted on the child, but state police said they don’t know yet whether there was any criminal culpability on Wolfert’s part.

Following the hearing, Town Justice Michael Kraiza ruled there was sufficient evidence to hold Stahli in jail without bail pending action by a grand jury.

About the Author

Since 1990, Patricia R. Doxsey has been a reporter for the Freeman, covering politics, crime, and government affairs. Reach the author at pdoxsey@freemanonline.com
or follow Patricia R. on Twitter: @pattiatfreeman.